Bloodline - Ketsuzoku

Those who are related by blood. In addition to natural parents and children, siblings, the Civil Code also states that adopted children and their adoptive parents and their blood relatives are blood relatives. The former are called natural blood relatives and the latter are called legal blood relatives, and both are included when simply saying blood relatives. Under the old Civil Code provisions (revised in 1947), stepparents and children (such as children of a second wife and a first wife) and illegitimate children (children of a legal wife and a concubine) were also considered blood relatives, but now they are only relatives by incline. There are various rights and obligations that arise between blood relatives, the main ones being inheritance and support. Natural blood relatives end only upon death, and today, "disownment" and "disownment by a third party" that cut ties between parents, children, and siblings are not recognized. Legal blood relatives end upon divorce and annulment of the adoption.

[Yasuyuki Takahashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

血のつながったもの同士。自然の親子・兄弟姉妹などのほか、民法では、養子と養親およびその血族との間も血族であるとしている。前者を自然血族、後者を法定血族といい、単に血族というときは両者を含む。民法旧規定（1947改正）では、継親子（後妻と先妻の子など）と嫡母庶子（本妻とめかけの子）も血族とされたが、現在は姻族にすぎない。血族の間にはさまざまな権利義務関係が発生するが、相続と扶養はそのおもなものである。自然血族関係は死亡によってのみ終了し、親子兄弟の縁を切る「勘当」や「義絶」は今日認められていない。法定血族関係は離縁および縁組の取消しによって終了する。

［高橋康之］

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